Currently

-My almost 4 year old is having a football game with his toy dinos. His imagination is incredible.

-My 20 month old will bring me books to "read", only to have him flop through the pages and say "NO!" when I actually try to read the words.

-I have spent at least 5 hours each of the past 3 days cleaning. I sure hope that this is a nesting thing.... otherwise I just became OCD.

-It has taken me 26 years to realize that it definitely shows when you buy the cheap nail polish and makeup. The good stuff is worth it. 

-Next year we are getting a three foot Christmas tree and putting it on our tv stand. I am so sick of picking  ornaments.

-Leaving the house is completely overrated. The boys have learned to play by themselves for hours at a time, and if we stay here all afternoon I am 4 times more likely to get a nap in.

-The last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy SUCK. that is all.

redo

     Before West was born, I made poor Stephen drive out in the middle of nowhere to buy this chair from craigslist. It was a great chair in theory- wide, modern, and neutral enough that I could use it in another room when he didn't need a rocker anymore. However, it was horribly uncomfortable. Also, tan microfiber is possibly the worst fabric on the face of the earth. Every fingerprint, speck of dirt, and stain was magnified by the terrible fabric.
    SO, my mom came up this weekend (because she is amazing, awesome, and loves me a lot!) and spent hours and hours helping me recover it with some fabric that I found on super clearance at my favorite fabric outlet near Asheville.

     It is now AMAZING! The fabric we used is ridiculously soft wide corduroy in velvet. Needless to say every living thing in my house loves it. Westley has actually just stood there rubbing his face against the arms a few times. I am a little sad that the pretty blue-gray color of the chair clashes terribly with the color of my bedroom. But that is where the chair will need to live while we are still in this house. Now all I need to do is find a moses basket stand for our room and I will finally be able to stop hyperventilating because our boy will actually have a place to sleep.
   

24 days of thanks #6

         *I'm still going to attempt to catch up and get this thing back on track... I said 'attempt'.

I am thankful for hot drinks and quiet time to write. This morning (after an hour spent running around outside) the boys were chill enough to watch a bit of Dora. I took the opportunity to journal and sip my tea. Oh, how I treasure my little 15 minute breaks.

currently

- Our third and final (before this baby is born) offer on a house was rejected this past weekend. It looks as though we will be in our little rental longer than anyone really planned. Now I have to do some major improvising as far as where baby stuff will go. We don't really have room for a real nursery here without sacrificing our guest room, and we have tried that in the past. It was kinda terrible.

- I am really, really, really excited about Christmas. Really.
This is the first Christmas that we will be spending entirely at our house. I am already ready to start decorating EVERYTHING.

- My to-do list only seems to be growing. I already had way too much to do, and so I decided to try to make some gifts for Christmas and another baby gift, too. Oh, and I bought a ton of fabric to make my own lil' guy a quilt of his own. Smart, Truly. Real smart.

- We have too much stuff. I am going to go through every room of this house and purge all of the crap that always seems to be in my way (which is pretty much everything). If my kids are playing with rocks and sticks the next time you see them, you will know why.

- And now we have an emergency Target run to make. I used the last of West's diapers this morning.

24 days of thanks #2

Today I am thankful for nap time.

     Naptime is very important to me these days. I can spend that time doing something around the house or just having some quiet time. It's been especially nice lately, because I have even been able to sneak in a nap myself once or twice when I felt particularly warn out.

caught my eye

                                                           I think I need this print!
      I am seriously ready for fall and woke up this morning to beautiful 50ish degrees. The boys and I
spent a good hour or so on the deck playing with dinos, bubbles and kick balls. I got some time to read my Bible, drink tea, and journal a bit. It was lovely. We will definitely be spending time on the deck a few mornings each week while the weather is so great. I hope that the slightest hints of fall are making their ways to your home.

bigger belly, smaller to-do list

Hello! I feel like I am sending an email to a friend I haven't seen in a long time, like a pen pal or something. That's kinda sad. The good news is that I finally feel like I have energy again and fully plan on using it to do fun stuff.

     This week I actually spent the majority of my time (that wasn't spent changing diapers, breaking up fights, or making sure that my kids weren't starving) working on a little project for little babe #3.

     I recovered the car seat that we used for the other two boys! It was definitely looking a little sad and showing its age. I think it turned out pretty stinkin' adorable and now I am working (slowly but surely) on the stroller that works with the car seat. I was pretty bummed when I realized that my Phil and Teds double is an older model which means that I can't buy a car seat attachment for it. BUT, I figure that I will probably just wear little Bean (we haven't picked out a name yet, can you tell???) whenever I have all three by myself and put the two older boys in the double.... at least until someone rebels and refuses to sit in the stroller anymore. Then I will simply refuse to leave the house with all of them in tow. There, I win.... or lose. We are going to go with win though. I have seen those mothers at Target trying to keep three or more kids together and remember what she was there for to begin with.... no thank you. I will work my way up to places like Target. Maybe I'll start with Walmart or something. I am pretty sure that there is always at least one or two kids (someone else's, of course) yelling every time that I go in there. At least I would feel like we were blending in.

     Also, I have made an appointment to get my hair did. (yup I just said that).
This is kind of a big deal for me. I haven't had my hair professionally cut since November. NOVEMBER.
It's longer than normal, so that's a plus I guess. Now I just need to figure out what I want to do with it. I don't even know who's going to be cutting it. I just called and took the first available spot my salon had. That's what I might call desperation.... but am going to refer to it as "faith in the stylist". It doesn't really matter what it looks like I suppose, since it will probably be another 9 months before I make it back over to get a trim. I should look into some hats just in case.....

no place like home

     We have gotten really good at hanging out at home during the day. The boys have really started playing well together, I am actually getting things accomplished, dinners are actually cooked as opposed to picked up, and my to do list is more than just "survive".

     There are still so many little things that can (and often do) put a little cramp in our day- biting, potty accidents, things breaking, and toddlers telling me "no way"- that when we have a great day, it really makes everything else seem unimportant.

     We have had a couple really good days this week, and it's pretty much got me excited to actually create and accomplish more than just housework. I am currently putting together a to-do list of things to get ready before the baby comes (just 21 more weeks). I am hoping that some sewing and painting will actually find a way onto my done list... but I will take almost whatever I can get.

     I think that seeing this little one and knowing what our slightly less little family is going to look like in a short time is changing my mood, outlook, and overall emotional state. I am really getting so excited about another baby being in our home and our lives.

lately

Here are some things (big and small) that I have noticed lately:

1. West's feet are so ridiculously fat that I will soon have to buy him a pair of Crocs due to the fact that all of the cute shoes that I bought don't even come close to fitting his little sausage toes.

2. If I read one more dinosaur book, I. WILL. SCREAM.

3. Library movies are more often scratched and unwatchable than not.

4. Ice cream can fix most things. Not everything, but most.

5. I am ready to find a house. I almost don't care what or where it is. I am losing any desire to be picky.

6. My dog smells like sweat. I didn't think dogs could sweat. She is an anomaly.

7. Red hair on little kids attracts sooooo much unwanted attention. Someone actually told me that in 50 years red-heads will be extinct. I wanted to punch him.

8. There are currently 6 puzzles spread across my living room. I don't care. The kids can pick them up... or Steve can make them clean them up when he gets home. My battles have all been fought today.

9. Harry is potty trained... kinda. He refuses to go anywhere but his training potty. This makes traveling such a terrible thing.

once upon a time

It feels like I haven't been able to catch my breath the entire 16 weeks of this pregnancy. I have only been over the awfulness that is morning sickness for a couple of weeks and we have already jumped right into full-blown house hunting and Westley has decided that sleeping through the night is not for him. Both of which are completely exhausting on their own.

I did manage, however, to find a camera and take some pictures of some things we did as a family this past weekend. The mister took Friday off and we spent the day lounging and loving on our kiddos. Harry started his morning by reading a few books to some of his closest friends - his dinnos. Of course, no summer day off would be complete without frozen yogurt!

Saturday was similar, but we ended the night with a few hours at a hanging out at a local brewery where kids and adults are welcomed to sit outside, listen to the music and buy a hot dog or two from a local vendor. The bartender was even thoughtful enough to provide a sprinkler for the little ones. We will definitely go back again before the summer ends.

cave dwelling

 Source

excuse my absence.

when i don't feel well, i tend to retreat into my own little world and keep everything and everyone else out. {picture the Marshwiggle (hermit) from the original bbc Silver Chair.}

fortunately at my last midwife appointment we came to the conclusion i need to try a new medication. (i have been on anti-nauseau meds for all three pregnancies due to the fact that i have been diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.) the one that i took with my two son's pregnancies doesn't seem to be doing it for me this time around, so i am currently trying a new (and ridiculously expensive.... RIDICULOUS!) medication to see if i will actually able to function. so far it seems to be working. i actually left my house this morning. that is a pretty big deal these days considering that i have been in my pajamas most days when the hubs got home. i also cooked for the first time in about a week. soo.... hopefully this will help get us back into the swing of things... or maybe i am just being super optomistic.

saltines and show tunes

Last week was such a roller coaster of a week. I spent at least two full days moving back and forth between my bed and the couch, trying to convince the boys that staying confined in the room we were currently in was super fun. I have the feeling they didn't fall for it, but they did what they were told none-the-less (with a breakdown here and there).
     We had a ridiculously busy weekend planned, and I was completely overwhelmed by just how much we had going on. We went to a birthday party for two toddlers on Saturday afternoon. That entire morning I could barely convince myself to get out of bed, so by the time we needed to leave I was sort of in rush mode. The whole party I felt like I was in a daze. It was hot, sunny and there were a ton of little kiddos running around the backyard. It was fun, but very draining. After two hours of that, the rest of the day was spent in recoup mode.
     Sunday was going to be an even busier day. We had planned to go to church, followed by a cookout, immediately followed by Chicago the musical that was being done at Flat Rock Play House (which apparently is North Carolina's state theatre). I didn't make it to church because I was already exhausted just thinking about everything else that we needed to do, so my husband took the boys by himself. Apparently, my 3 year old peed on a friend after church. Oh, the joys of potty training.
     After a quick nap for the boys and getting everything that we would need for such a busy afternoon packed up in the car, we set out for the cookout. The place we were going was only about 20 minutes away, but halfway down the road I got a terrible feeling in my stomach. I knew things were going downhill. Luckily, we had a ton of practice with emergency stops due to the fact that I was constantly throwing up when I was pregnant with my oldest. Stephen stopped right in time for me to jump out of the car.... and well.... I'll spare you the details. Ugh.
However, it made me feel so much better! I was actually able to enjoy myself at the cookout and eat almost whatever I wanted. (It also helped that I took a few pills that my old OB was lovely enough to prescribe for me to cancel out what I like to call the baby-pukes.)
     For almost 5 hours we played in the sun, at fished, played corn hole, walked, and chatted with some old friends and new acquaintances. We were the only ones there with kids, so it was much more laid back than Saturday afternoon.  When you have 8 or 9 couples who are either pregnant, ready to think about kids or just like kids- someone is always ready and willing to play with yours. It helps that ours were in pretty good moods.  I wish I had taken my camera, but I probably would have forgotten to take pictures.
Once everyone else left, we hosed down the kids cleaned the boys and ourselves up a bit. The couple who were hosting the cookout had already agreed to watch the boys while we went to the play. It was super easy that way, since we were able to leave straight from their house without making another trip to drop the boys off anywhere.
     The show was pretty great. Although, I will be the first to admit that I am always going to compare things like that with the movie.... and the actor they had playing Billy was no where close to Richard Gere....
I was glad we saw it, though, and was so very glad to see my bed once we made it home. I am glad that the previous week had been so low key (even if it was only because I felt like I was going to die half of the time.)
     Stephen took today off to help make today easier. This is Harry's last week of preschool, so hopefully I can put those two days to very good use. Tonight I think we will be eating something very easy and following it with some ice cream. Might as well end the long weekend on a very high note.

to do list

              The days are getting warmer. The sun stays a bit longer to play. We have been enjoying it.

 
This week the goal is to get a bit more spring cleaning done, as well as getting the kiddos outside as much as I can stand. I already cleaned out the garage, the master bathroom, the linen closet, the pantry and the coat closet last week. I am hoping to follow up with a good scrubbing down of the kitchen, the guest bathroom, the two little boogers' rooms and the master bedroom. I am going to save the main living space until I can round up some help with the kids when my mom visits or something. I don't want to lose a child in the cleaning frenzy that will definitely take place. I am so glad that spring finally decided to make her debut. I was getting worried.

is it friday yet?

Source

     It has been a tough week. I keep having to stop and remind myself that these two little men are my responsibility to guide, teach and take care of for the time being. This is hard due to the fact that my oldest little boy told me that he would rather live in the woods "with the animals" than live with me. ouch.

Where do they come up with things like that? How is it automatically built in to know how to hurt and hurt deeply????

    I am just really ready for the weekend and to find sometime to settle down with the Bible, my journal and a massive cup of caffeinated goodness. It's so refreshing and necessary to constantly remind myself that no matter how hard my day God is still in love with me and continues to love on me (even when it feels like no one else is). He is still watching out for me and, ultimately, I really can't get away from that. I need to get that tattooed across my forehead or something. I tend to forget it when everything builds up around me and I can't seem to get it together. (that happens a lot)

So, hopefully, in the time to come, I can focus on that and not the fact that the three year old is incapable of doing anything without touching/hitting/kicking the little brother. Yeah, it's gonna take some real focus.

pink cheeks and other things

right now i am enjoying a little boy who is coming into his own. he has an amazing personality and it's so fun watching him discover everything around him. teeth that are slowly making appearances are making naps (and sleep in general) seem like a thing of the past. it's nice to have quiet happy moments without fussing or crying. he has been extra clingy lately. i don't mind most of the time.... but once in a while i actually have to accomplish something, and that is slightly difficult.

 i am also enjoying some touches of pink that have brightened things up and made spring feel much closer. i bought myself a little 'pick me up' the other day when we were having yet another bout of winter weather in April... APRIL! ridiculous. so i came home with a little bunch of pink flowers and a pair of pink shoes. it worked. i am content and don't really mind the chill outside as long as there is sun coming through the windows, and i am cozy indoors.

rainy wednesday

Today has been one of those terrible days that makes me cringe at any loud noise and at least one eye twitch at all times. It has been raining all day, both boys have been all kinds of needy, the dog has been whiny and any and all ideas that I might have come up with to make today better have been completely and totally shoved back in my face.

Fortunately, it is Wednesday, and that means that the week is more than half over. Hooray.

To cheer myself up a bit, I did order this print off of Etsy. I absolutely love this shop, and my growing collection of these lovely works is hanging above the tv (so we can be SURE to see them often, HA!)

What do you do when you are having one of "those" weeks and can't seem to get it together?

who me?

My house is a mess (again), the kid's haven't eaten lunch yet, the dog hasn't been walked, the bed is unmade, the dishes aren't done.... and I can't figure out where in the world the morning has gone. It's 2:45 and I am pretty sure that my only accomplishment for the day has been getting dressed so that I could go get Harry from preschool. Life: 1 Truly: 0

this week

My arm is FINALLY healing. Tattoos are LOVELY, but sooooo painful. I have only been able to wear short sleeves once this week. Apparently not all people in the NC mountains are not too excited about tattooed ladies, because I definitely got a look or two.

Harry took a sharpie to one of the shams from my new bedding. I almost died. It is going to take some serious creativity to figure out a way to cover that up without having to replace anything.

We have some friends coming up for the weekend, and my little man turns 3 on Sunday.

(Yes, those are my gnome pants.)

What a way to end a very long week.

slacker

i am such a slacker.... here is the month of December in pictures.
We had our 5 year anniversary, two weddings, multiple trips back to Durham, two Christmas's, a visit from aunt Dusty, saw my grandmother for the first time since Westley was born, and had a wonderful end of the year.
This might have been my favorite Christmas ever. There was very little arguing (a miracle for our family), it wasn't all about the presents (even though everything i got was lovely and perfect and just what i wanted), the only thing really missing was Anna (but we did get to skype with her on Christmas day).

I didn't manage to get any pictures of our anniversary present to each other which was tickets to the Avett Brothers show on the 30th. That was perfect in every way. 5 years later and we are as happy and in love as ever. Love!

Our new year's eve was spent at home, with the boys, in bed by 11. Pretty much perfect. (we are so old)

gray and drizzly

This week has started as cold and rainy in the mountains....
but the coziness of my little house has inspired some happiness. I've been baking and cooking up a storm. Everything from yummy chili to an apple pie. If I wasn't currently out of milk and eggs I would be making either tapioca or rice pudding right now instead of typing.

I have been making some baby food for the chunky kid, too. I made applesauce, sweet potatoes and a yogurt/fruit mix. Later I am hoping to get some pureed bananas made, as well. I have really enjoyed cooking here. It must be the extra time I seem to have on my hands lately....

I also think that I might NEED these salt and pepper shakers! Aren't they amazing???